Think of an IP address as a phone number on the Internet. Every computer or device on the Internet has a unique IP address. Because of this uniqueness, an IP address can tell you a great deal of information about the person or device using it. Use free online tools to find an IP address, the company that owns it and its approximate location in the world.

Finding Your Own IP Address

To find your own IP address, browse to IPChicken.com. Your IP address will be displayed, along with the name of the Internet Service Provider that owns the address. Note that if your computer connects to the Internet through a router, the IP address that is displayed will be that of your router, rather than the computer itself. Generally, your Internet Service Provider gives you only one IP address, which the router takes and shares with all the computers in the house.

Finding the Location of an IP Address

Browse to InfoSniper.net to find the location of an IP address. Type the address that you would like to look up into the box; click "Check." The location of the IP address can be shown using several mapping services including Google Maps, Windows Live Maps and Yahoo! Maps.

Finding the Owner of an IP Address

To find the owner of an IP address, browse to WS.ARIN.net. Enter the IP address and click "Submit Query." You'll see the company that owns the IP address, along with its website, email and telephone contact information. Note that in most cases, the person using the IP address will not be shown. This is partially due to privacy concerns, and partially because the IP addresses assigned to the end-users of an Internet Service Provider often change frequently.

Resource:

IP Chicken: Find Your Own IP Address

Info Sniper: IP Address Geolocation

ARIN WHOIS Database: Find Provider Information from an IP Address